| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive piel imperfect vayedabber {וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר | wə-ye-ḏăḇ-ḇēr} ‘and He spoke’, which signals the commencement of divine discourse. The placement of the divine name Yahweh {יְהוָ֖ה | yə-hō-wāh} before the indirect object highlights divine initiative. The preposition el {אֶל־ | ʾel} ‘to’ relates the verb to its recipient, while the infinitive leʾemor {לֵּאמֹֽר | lē-ʾēmôr} ‘saying’ functions as a discourse marker introducing direct speech. English rendering preserves the Hebrew VSO order by employing the introductory formula “spoke … saying,” which underscores the formal structure of divine communication. |